Rock My World
by PrincessRedfern
Summary: "Go out with me." "No chance in hell." "Give me a chance to change." "I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last man on Earth." She was determined not to be another conquest. She thought he just wanted to rock her world. My Banner Bunny entry. AH JUST A ONESHOT


Rock My World

**A/N: THIS IS MY ENTRY FOR THE BANNER BUNNY COMPETITION. THIS IS THE SECOND VERSION OF THE STORY I HAVE WRITTEN AND IS VERY DIFFERENT TO THE FIRST VERSION. I ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO HAVE FIVE 1000 WORD CHAPTERS BUT MY MUSE GOT THE BETTER OF ME SO I DECIDED ON AN ALL HUMAN ONE SHOT. PLEASE LEAVE ME A REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.**

**REVISED A/N: THANK YOU TO FOR POINTING OUT TO ME THAT MY LINE BREAKS DID NOT APPEAR. I'VE NOW EDITED MY STORY SO THAT LINE BREAKS DO APPEAR.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy nor did I create the banner that goes with this FF.**

The bar was loud and smelly and it was completely expected by college junior Rose Hathaway. She didn't know what had convinced her to visit the off-campus college bar to study, but now that she was here, she figured she might as well stay. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her modest jeans and green turtleneck, she didn't fit in at all. The textbook tucked under her arm didn't help either.

She made her way over to a recently vacated table, moving the empty beer glasses and checking the table was clean before putting her books down. The music pumped loudly in her ears and she pushed a strand of red-brown hair from her face, her brown eyes fixed intently on the words in the book.

Blocking out the noise was harder than she thought and Rose found herself struggling to concentrate. Nervously, she chewed on the back of her sharp yellow pencil as the bar grew more and more full.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

Rose looked up and was met with a breath of alcohol in her face. She coughed once before looking at the guy who had spoken. Brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, perfectly tailored blue sweater and what appeared to be designer jeans.

He was in her Politics and Literature classes, but she didn't need a class list to identify him. He was the rich boy on campus, Dimitri Belikov. She had heard all about him. He was a party boy and a womaniser. She didn't want anything to do with him.

"No."

"So you came for the study vibe?" he teased, sitting on the bar stool opposite her.

"No."

"Well then, can I buy you a drink?"

"No thank you."

He blinked, obviously surprised that he had been rejected so quickly. She ignored him, going back to her work.

"Not even a coke?" he pressed.

"I'm not thirsty," she didn't look up.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure you have someone else you could be talking to, Belikov," she continued writing notes.

"I see my reputation precedes me. I'm sure I'm not as bad as what you've heard," he said jokingly.

"I presume you're worse," Rose replied.

"Ouch. Do you have a brain mouth filter?"

"Sorry, it's under maintenance."

"Touché... so you know who I am."

"Obviously," she said cuttingly, refusing to look up at him.

"Who am I?" he asked.

"Dimitri Belikov. Your father is a New York Senator. Politics is your family business. You're filthy rich and never let anyone forget it. You sleep around, party and still manage to make grades. You've never had to work for anything in your life and you never will."

"Thoroughly predictable response... nothing I haven't heard before."

"I'm sure."

"Well what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You judged me so superficially. Do I not deserve the same privilege?"

"Go ahead," Rose said, satisfied he couldn't possibly know her.

"Rose Hathaway. You don't live on campus, so you have to be from around here. You're a good student and here on scholarship. You work at the cafe on campus and walk around thinking you're more superior than everyone because you've had to work for everything you have. How did I do?"

Rose looked up in surprise, "I don't think I'm superior. I think my life is more satisfying."

"And why is that?"

"Because at the end of the day, the few things I have are actually mine and the few friends I have like me for me," she replied.

"A predictable response," Dimitri said calmly.

"Nothing about me is predictable," Rose said, packing up her books.

Dimitri's hand on her arm stopped her, "Prove it. Go out with me."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"You're not my type."

"I'm everyone's type."

"Then go hassle someone else."

"I want you."

"Of course you do. You want everyone."

"No, I only want you."

"I don't want you. You're a playboy. You'll never change," Rose tucked her books under her arm.

"I would for the right person."

"That's not me."

"How do you know?" he challenged.

She changed her tactic, "I'm not letting you crush my heart."

"I wouldn't."

"You can't know that."

"Neither can you."

Rose turned on her heel, pushing through the crowd and eventually getting out of the bar.

"Wait... I'm talking to you," Dimitri called after her when they got outside.

"What would it take for you to leave me alone?" Rose cried exasperatedly, not slowing her pace.

"A date," Dimitri caught up easily.

"Not happening! You only want to get into my pants."

"If I wanted that, I already would have rocked your world, baby," he smirked seductively.

"You're disgusting!" Rose spat, quickening her pace.

"Come on now, that's not what I've been told."

"Just leave me alone. I don't want to go out with you. This isn't a movie or a book, this is real life. People don't change. We are what we are and even if you were the most sensible, decent guy on Earth I still wouldn't go out with you."

"Why is that?" he questioned.

"Because everyone always leaves and I'm not willing to get hurt. I won't make the same mistakes my parents did," Rose burst out, unwillingly spilling her soul.

"Trust issues?"

"I don't have trust issues!" she growled.

"Prove me wrong. Go out with me."

"You're not my type."

"I can change."

"People don't change."

"I will."

"You can't. It isn't in our nature to change."

"Don't generalise the human species. People have the capacity to change."

"Prove it then. Change direction and go annoy someone else."

"I don't want anyone else. I want you."

"You don't even know me."

"I know you. I see you in class. You radiate knowledge and strength."

"You're full of it."

"Go out with me."

"No chance in hell."

"Give me a chance to change."

Rose stopped abruptly. Dimitri barely managed to stop with her.

"I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last man on Earth."

Rose sat down at her usual seat in her Politics classroom, pulling out her sleek thin laptop and placing it on her desk.

"Is this seat taken?"

Rose looked up, groaning at Dimitri's smirking face.

"As a matter of fact, yes," she slung her bag on the empty chair.

"Bull, love," Dimitri removed it and sat down next to her, slinging his arm around her shoulder.

"Get off me," Rose hissed.

"Come on baby... don't be like that."

"I'm not your baby."

"Not yet..."

"Not ever."

"That's what you think."

"That's what I know. Just stay away from me."

"Bit hard in class sweet cheeks," Dimitri teased.

"Don't. You still have a chance to stay alive... move," Rose ordered, her voice hard.

"I don't think you could kill me... you're like a head shorter than me and you're tiny."

"Don't think I couldn't take you. I so could."

"You can have me any day baby. Don't have to take me," Dimitri whispered in her ear.

"In your dreams," Rose jerked away from him violently.

"Yeah you are."

Rose stood instantly; ready to move as Professor Petrov entered the room. Glowering, she sat back down, knowing it would be impossible to move away now.

"Do not speak to me," she hissed to Dimitri, fixing her attention on the Professor.

"Right, today we're starting the semester's assignments. Please turn to the person sitting next to you and say hello to your partner."

Rose slumped in her chair, groaning inwardly.

"Howdy partner."

"Ugh!" she slumped forward, letting her head rest on her laptop.

The assignment sheet was passed around and the rest of class was assigned as the only time they would be given in class to work together. Rose was stuck with Dimitri. She was going to have to spend her evenings and weekends working with him.

"So maybe we could start working tomorrow night... you, me, a nice candlelight dinner? And our textbooks of course," Dimitri winked suggestively.

"You're such a pig. If you want an A, you'll do this assignment on my terms," Rose snapped, running a hand through her hair.

"You won't jeopardise your grade," Dimitri said knowingly.

"Don't pretend to know me. I'm on an A... it would take a complete fail to get me on anything under a C and even then I could still make it up. The way I hear it, you're on a low B right now... barely hanging on. A bad mark, you may just have to repeat the course. How would mommy and daddy feel about that?"

Dimitri glared, "You don't know anything."

"We're doing this on my terms. I'm working tonight. Meet me at the diner at 8:30. We can work until closing... after even, they let me close up sometimes."

"You wanna be alone with me? Have your way with me?"

"Ugh! God, you're such a pig," Rose curled her lip in disgust.

"You love it."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"I do," Rose vowed her voice cold.

"Look into my eyes and tell me you feel nothing for me."

Rose fixed her almond coloured eyes on his chocolate coloured ones. She couldn't deny they were gorgeous... staring at them for long periods of time made her feel as though she were drowning in them. They sparkled with mischievous life and...

What was she thinking? Attraction led to love and love led to hurt. Especially with Dimitri Belikov. He was nothing but trouble. And trouble could be sexy for a while, when you were young and naive and stupid, but not when you were experienced and unwilling to love.

"I feel nothing for you," Rose kept her voice as cold and hard as steel, "And I never ever will."

Dimitri's eyes went cold, "Never is a very long time pet."

"I am _not_ your pet. Or your sweet cheeks, or your honey... I'm Rose. You got that? I'm Rose."

"Okay petal..."

"Rose."

"Roses have petals don't they?"

"This Rose is more thorn than petal," Rose warned.

"Just the way I like them."

"You don't like me."

"I do... Go out with me."

"I don't play with fire."

"Fire doesn't always burn," Dimitri stroked Rose's cheek his touch lighting up her whole body.

He leant forward to whisper in her ear, "Occasionally it warms."

Rose smacked his hand away, "Fire always burns. It's only a matter of time. If you get too close you burn right up."

"Being warm is fun while it lasts... and sometimes it lasts for months," Dimitri whispered in her ear.

"The longer you last, the more you burn," she pushed him away.

"I won't burn you."

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

"I don't usually chase them."

"You're such a jerk. Just leave me alone."

"I can be sweet."

"I'll believe that when I see it. You're not capable of change."

"I'd change for you."

"You're the guy who tells a girl he loves her to get into her pants. How is this any different? These are just lies. You'll say anything to get what you want."

"And what exactly do I want?"

"Bragging rights. You can say to all your 'boys' _you know that Rose Hathaway chick... I did her... _blah, blah, blah, stereotypical locker room talk."

"I would never speak that way about a woman."

"Don't pretend to be a gentleman... you're a pig."

"Well... as fun as the witty banter portion of our relationship has been, I'd much rather move onto the physical stuff... all this punning is making my brain hurt."

Rose leaned in closer as if she were about to kiss Dimitri. Inches from his lips she smirked.

"What brain?"

She went to move away but was stopped by Dimitri. He held her close to him, his eyes boring into hers. Rose could only imagine how it would feel to touch his soft lips with hers, to press her hands against his warm, hard chest, to hear him whisper in her ear _I love you_. She could feel herself gravitating towards him, her resolve fading.

Professor Petrov clapped her hands, calling the class to attention. Rose jerked back, her eyes widening in horror as she realised what she had been about to do. She sat stiffly as the class was.

"8:30. Diner," she said coolly, leaving the room as quickly as she could.

It had been a busy night. Things had only just died down and the cleaning up was just finished. Rose was leaning against the counter, thoroughly exhausted from a long night.

She closed the till, printing off the final balance of the money that had been put through that night. Forcing herself to move away from the counter, she went out the back and filed away the balance.

"Rose you can finish up now."

Rose untied her apron from around her waist and looked up as Dimitri Belikov walked into the small diner, looking completely out of place. She sighed and placed her apron on the counter.

"Hey there gorgeous," he bent down to kiss her.

Rose pushed him away, disgusted, "You're disgusting. Let's just get this over with."

"You didn't think I was disgusting in class. If we hadn't been interrupted..."

"I was playing you," Rose interrupted coldly, picking up her books from under the counter and walking out to sit at one of the tables.

"Really?" Dimitri sat beside her.

"Rose," Mia Rinaldi, the owner's daughter, approached the table.

"I called your dad; he said it was fine to let me lock up tonight. We're only going to work for a few hours," Rose looked up at Mia.

"Yeah, I know, he called me. I'll leave the keys on the counter, everything's cleaned up so just make sure you turn off the lights and lock up," Mia grabbed her handbag from the countertop and put the keys down on the counter.

"Sure," Rose nodded, "See you later Mia."

"Have a good night Rose."

Dimitri waited until Mia had left to scoot closer to Rose, "Now I have you all to myself."

Rose scooted away, "Let's just get started on the assignment. We have a lot of work to do."

They'd been working for nearly an hour and a half when Dimitri got up abruptly.

"What are you doing?" Rose demanded.

"Getting a drink," he moved behind the counter and pulled a glass out from the cabinet.

Rose hurried after him, "That's stealing."

"No one will know," Dimitri moved over to the fridge.

"I will!" Rose grabbed his arm, preventing him from opening it.

Dimitri turned back to look at Rose. Their faces were close together, their eyes locked. Both were breathing audibly and the tension was palpable. Neither one spoke, they just looked at each other.

Slowly, Dimitri inched forward, leaning down so he could touch his lips to Rose's. Their lips met merely for a moment before Rose reached forward and threw her arms around Dimitri, pressing herself against him and kissing him passionately. Dimitri dropped the glass he was holding and moved his hands to Rose's face, holding her close to him.

Neither one heard the shatter of the glass, too engrossed in each other. Rose's hands moved to Dimitri's shirt and they broke apart so she could pull it off of him. He picked her up, their lips meeting again and laid her up against the counter, neither one noticing the flashing red of the security camera above them.

Rose stirred, stretching out. Her muscles groaned in complaint and her warm skin grew cold against the cold, hard sheets. She rolled over, nestling into the warm, fleshy pillow beside her.

Her eyes snapped open and she repressed a shudder. Rose sat up and put her head in her hands, inwardly groaning. Beside her, Dimitri was asleep, naked, just as she was.

She stood up and dressed quickly, running her fingers through her obvious sex hair. It was just past midnight and she had to get Dimitri out of the diner so she could lock up.

"Wake up," she kicked his side.

He coughed as his eyes opened and groaned.

"What the... why are you dressed?" he asked, sitting up and blinking.

"Get up. I need to lock up," Rose moved to the table and began packing up her books.

"Are we gonna talk about what happened?" Dimitri stood up and began dressing.

"Nothing happened," Rose tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, grabbing the keys from their place on the floor.

"Baby, I just rocked your world," Dimitri grabbed Rose by the waist.

She pushed him away, her lip curling in disgust, "That was a mistake... a perverse, disgusting mistake."

Dimitri's face went hard as he began to pack up his books, "Don't pretend that didn't make you feel good."

Rose swallowed hard, "I feel sick, like something disgusting slithered into my stomach and died. I feel dirty, like I need a good scrub and maybe to be tested. I feel grateful that I've been on the pill since I was sixteen because I so do not need to be impregnated by your demonic spawn!"

"Really... well do you wanna know how I feel?" Dimitri yelled.

"Like you finally got what you wanted and can move onto your next conquest?" Rose yelled back.

"Like I just had sex with a woman I could possibly love!"

"That's it!" Rose grabbed Dimitri by the shirt and threw him out of the diner, "Goodbye!"

She waited until he stalked away to turn the lights off and lock up the diner. Walking home, she clutched her books to her chest and burst into tears.

"You son of a..." Rose stormed up to Dimitri, pushing through his group of friends.

"Rose... I thought we were meeting later to work on the assignment," Dimitri frowned, confused.

"Who did you tell?" she demanded.

"What?"

"Someone tipped off Mia Rinaldi to watch the security tapes from last night. She saw everything. So did her father. I'm fired. I have no job. Do you know how tough it was for me to get that job?" Rose cried.

Dimitri felt sick. He had gotten her fired.

"Rose, I didn't tell anyone..."

"Don't give me that!" Rose cried, "Do you honestly expect me to believe that you haven't told everyone here that we had sex last night?"

Dimitri's friends all cheered some of them going so far as to clap Dimitri on the back. Rose's cheeks went red as she realised she had told them.

"Oh God..." her eyes widened, "This is a nightmare."

She turned and stormed away, tears welling up in her eyes. She was so embarrassed. She had done the thing she had sworn she would never do. And now she had told everyone what she had done.

She was no better than one of Dimitri's whores. Hell, she _was_ one of Dimitri's whores. She could hear Dimitri calling her name, chasing after her, but she refused to stop. Her pace quickened and she ended up running.

She ran fast, running through campus until she reached the bus stop. A bus was just pulling up to the stop and she hurried onto it, desperate to get away.

The minute she sat down in a seat, her head fell against the window. She wrapped her arms around herself and let herself cry.

Rose stared at herself in the mirror, wondering what Dimitri saw in her. She studied her reflection, gazing into her almond coloured deadened lifeless eyes. Her eyes moved over her face, her red tear streaked cheeks and her smooth pink lips to move over her body. She looked over her small curvy body and her tanned skin. She hated all of it. She had no way to change it though. The only thing she could change was her hair. Her long, gorgeous red brown straight hair.

A determined look crossing her face, Rose plucked a pair of scissors from the bathroom drawer and began to hack at her locks, cutting them off so they stopped at her shoulders. Hair began to fall to the floor and she watched as her long locks became a jagged short cut. She stared at herself, her eyes widening in realisation of what she'd just done. She turned around, squeezing her eyes shut and sinking to the floor, clutching the scissors to her chest as she cried.

Dimitri Belikov loved long hair.

Rose walked through campus her eyes cast down to the ground. She reached up to touch the plush navy hat that hid her hair from her classmates. She walked through to the library where she was meeting Dimitri to work on their assignment.

"Rose," Dimitri looked up from the table he was sitting at, "I was surprised when you called me. We really have to talk."

"No we don't," Rose said emotionlessly, "We need to do this assignment."

Rose sat down and pulled her books out of her bag.

"Rose..."

"Shut up Dimitri," Rose warned turning to the next page in her notebook.

"Look, Rose we really do need to talk," Dimitri pleaded.

"Did you do the research?" Rose didn't look up.

"Rose..."

"What?" she hissed, casting her eyes up, "What do you want me to say? We made a mistake... _I_ made a mistake. You just need to leave me alone. You got what you wanted from me so how about we just keep everything strictly professional from now on."

Dimitri's eyes locked on hers and he watched as she reached up to tuck a strand of hair back into her hat.

"Rose..." he asked slowly, "Why are you wearing a hat?"

She froze, swallowing hard as Dimitri reached over and pulled the hat off her head. Slowly, her chin-length bob fell out, falling around her face. Dimitri's eyes widened.

"What did you do?" he whispered to her.

"Don't," she snatched her hat out of his hands.

"What did you do?" he reached out, twirling a strand of hair around his finger.

She pushed his hand away, "Don't."

"Rose... I didn't mean for it to go this way," Dimitri said slowly, "I wanted it to be different."

"Don't pretend," Rose crossed her arms.

Dimitri scooted his chair closer to her, leaning into whisper in her ear in Russian. Unconsciously, Rose's eyes rolled back slightly and she shivered at the desire dripping from his voice.

"Roza," he whispered, switching to English, "Go out with me... just one date. Let me show you I've changed. One date and I'll leave you alone."

Rose swallowed hard feeling her resolve draining from her, "Okay. One date."

"One date," Dimitri agreed.

Rose stood outside her house, waiting for Dimitri. She pulled at her sequinned black dress, tugging the hem so it fell to mid thigh and pulling at the elbow length sleeves. She touched her elaborate updo, a result of her best friend's hard work and some expensive extensions. She tapped her pointed toed six inch stiletto heeled pumps together nervously and opened up her black clutch, searching for her phone.

She heard a car stop in the street and looked up, her jaw dropping as she took in the black stretch limousine. The window rolled down and Dimitri poked his head out, grinning as he took in Rose's appearance.

"Wow," his grin widened.

"Wow yourself," she gave a small smile, walking toward the limo.

Dimitri climbed out, holding the door open for her.

"Is this supposed to impress me?" Rose raised an eyebrow at him.

She slid into the limo, trying to stop her eyes from widening at the luxurious limo interior.

"Is it working?" Dimitri climbed in next to her, closing the door.

Rose gave him a self satisfied smile, "No."

"Good," he smiled, "_I_ want to impress you."

Rose rolled her eyes. Dimitri leant forward to take a bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice and two champagne flutes. He poured two glasses of champagne and offered one to Rose.

"Thank you," she accepted it.

"To second impressions," Dimitri held up his flute.

Rose clinked her flute against his, "Cheers."

"... so I stormed in there, guns blazing and all I could see was red."

"Oh God! You didn't!" Rose smiled despite this, "Poor Viktoria."

"I did," Dimitri chuckled at the memory, "So I'm in there and I can see him, making out with my baby sister, his hands all over her. Only I get there and I pull them apart and I shove him up against the wall and I'm threatening him. And then I feel this hand on my shoulder and I turn around and it's not my sister. It's his tutor. Turns out he was using Viktoria as a cover so no one knew he was into his tutor."

Rose laughed, "Oh God... and because you didn't give Viktoria a chance to explain..."

"... I didn't know," Dimitri laughed with her, "I thought I was being a good brother."

"Trust me, you're a good brother," Rose smiled, "You remind me of my brother."

"You have a brother?" Dimitri asked.

"Two, actually, Mason and Eddie. You remind me of Eddie," Rose explained.

"I remind you of your brother? You're on a date with a guy that reminds you of your brother. Should I be paying for a therapist?" Dimitri joked.

Rose laughed, "I meant the way you are with your sister. Eddie's my elder brother. He's twenty four. I remember when I was fifteen I had the _biggest_ crush on his best friend, Jesse Zeklos. He was such a player. He was eighteen. A high school senior. I spent months chasing after him. Eddie was furious. I did everything to get his attention. I even tried out for cheerleading. Hell, I even started flunking math so I asked him to tutor me. The first tutor session I came out wearing a tiny black mini skirt and this tight tank top, showing off practically everything. Anyway, Eddie came home and found us making out on the couch. I'm fairly sure he had one hand up my skirt and the other up my shirt. Eddie was furious. He pretty much threw Jesse out and then proceeded to yell at me for hours. I wasn't allowed to even look at his friends for months. None of Eddie's friends ever even made eye contact with me for fear of suffering his wrath. Even now, any friend he introduces to me gets the spiel- 'don't touch my baby sister or I'll kill you'. He thinks I don't know but I'm not clueless... and I'm not a teenager anymore."

Dimitri laughed, "I would've done the exact same thing. What about your other brother, Mason?"

"Mase is great," Rose smiled fondly, "I mean don't get me wrong, I love both my brothers equally, but I was always closer to Mase growing up. He's nineteen so we're a little closer in age. I was never into any of his friends; actually he was into a couple of mine. I remember this one time, his friend, Aaron, had a thing for me. I was a senior and he was a sophomore. It made for some insanely awkward times."

"So, where are they now?" Dimitri asked.

"Well, Eddie's in LA. He's a big shot lawyer over there and engaged to his high school girlfriend, Mia," Rose replied, "He comes over every once in a while to check up on me and Dad, scare off any boyfriends."

Dimitri laughed, "That's awesome. And Mason?"

"Mase is away at college in New Hampshire. He's at Harvard studying forensic science. He's dating a girl he met in class, Meredith. He brought her home last Thanksgiving; she seemed sweet. He's becoming as protective as Eddie. I'm fairly certain it was Mase who scared away my Literature tutor," Rose giggled, taking a sip of champagne, "What about your sisters?"

"Well, Karolina's thirty one. She got married three years ago. She has a ten year old son, Paul to her college boyfriend and she and her husband have a daughter, Zoya. She's pretty much a Mom now. Her husband has his own business and they're living in Russia near my grandmother. He's a great Dad to both Zoya and Paul. Sonya's twenty seven. She's still in Russia as well. She's working as a receptionist in some big company. She's actually expecting a baby right now," Dimitri's expression grew dark, "She's keeping the father quiet though. She said she's fine with being a single mom," he shrugged off the negativity, "Anyway, Viktoria's seventeen. She's in boarding school in Pennsylvania. She got a scholarship to some fancy academy, St. Vladimir's or something."

Rose recognised the name, "My best friend went there for a few years before she moved here. It's a great school."

"Yeah, my Mom was hesitant to let her go there but she's getting a great education. She's been there for eighteen months," Dimitri smiled fondly, "She loves it. I go up and visit her some weekends."

Rose went to speak but was interrupted by a waitress.

"Excuse me, sir... miss," she interrupted, "I'm really sorry, but we're about to close up. I need to ask you to leave."

Rose looked around, realising the restaurant was completely empty.

"Oh my God. We've been here for hours," she cried.

Dimitri smiled, "It felt like minutes."

They stood up and Dimitri escorted Rose out to the limo, holding the door open for her.

"Is this 'gentleman' thing an act?" Rose asked as she slid into the limo.

"Why don't you decide," Dimitri slid in beside her.

The ride back to Rose's house was silent. It wasn't awkward though, it was comfortable. When they arrived at her house, he held open the door for her again and then took her hand, walking her to the front door.

"I had a surprisingly nice time," Rose admitted.

"Me too," Dimitri agreed, "Well, it wasn't surprising... Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

Rose blushed, "Thank you. You're not so shabby yourself."

Dimitri's eyes locked on hers, "Can I kiss you?"

Rose gave a tiny nod, frozen as Dimitri leaned in to gently kiss her lips.

"That should have been our first kiss," he whispered as he pulled back.

Rose took a deep breath, "Yeah."

"So what's the verdict?" Dimitri asked, "Would you like to do this again sometime?"

"Yes," Rose whispered her resolve to avoid Dimitri faded completely, "Yes I would."

"Eddie!" Rose wrapped her arms around her elder brother.

"Rosie! God I've missed you," Eddie hugged his baby sister back, "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too," Rose grinned, looking around LAX, "Where's Mia?"

"Wedding details," Eddie rolled his eyes before settling his stony gaze on Rose's companion, "Whose this?"

"Eddie," Rose rolled her eyes taking Dimitri's hand, "This is Dimitri. My plus one. We've been seeing each other for nearly seven months."

Dimitri gave Eddie a small smile, "Hi there, I'm Dimitri Belikov."

"Eddie Hathaway," Eddie replied without a smile.

Rose rolled her eyes again, "Be nice, Eddie."

He turned back to his little sister, taking her suitcase. He led the couple out of the airport to the car park where Mason was leaning against Eddie's expensive silver car.

"Mase!" Rose squealed, dropping Dimitri's hand and running to her baby brother.

"Rose."

"I didn't think you were flying in until tomorrow," Rose hugged Mason tightly.

"I wanted to surprise you," Mason explained.

"This is the best!" Rose pulled back, turning to smile at Dimitri, "Mason, this is my boyfriend, Dimitri."

Mason shot Dimitri a glare. Rose threw her hands up exasperatedly.

"Grow up," she shot at her brothers, climbing into the car.

Dimitri had already met Abe. He'd gotten the 'talk'. He thought Abe was scary. Abe had nothing on his sons. Eddie had created... well beautiful wasn't the word... strong imagery of exactly what he'd do to Dimitri if he ever hurt Rose. Mason backed it up with pictures. It was terrifying.

Dimitri loved it. It reminded him that he'd gotten the girl; his girl, his Roza.

Rose stood at the foot of the aisle on her father's arm. Her bridesmaids: her sisters, Karolina, Sonya, Viktoria, Mia, Meredith and her best friend, Lissa had finished walking and now it was her turn. She looked nervously at the crowd and then at Dimitri's groomsmen, his brothers, Denis, Eddie, Mason, his nephew, Paul, his best friend, Ivan, and his new friend, Lissa's boyfriend, Christian. Then her eyes locked on Dimitri's. Taking a soothing breath, she realised she was ready to be Mrs. Rosemarie Belikov.

She couldn't get up the aisle quick enough. Her father beside her was the only reason she kept her pace slow. Her father gave her away and no one objected. It was time for the vows.

"Roza, when I first _officially_ met you, you accused me of wanting to get into your pants. I promised you I'd rock your world. Well, baby I was so wrong. You've changed me. You've made me a better person. You're the reason I could stand up and do what I wanted and not what was expected of me. You challenge me to be better and you call me up on my mistakes. You're the most amazing person I've ever met and when I proposed to you eighteen months ago, you agreed to give me the honour of having you forever. God, Roza I was so nervous. But you said yes. You said yes to becoming my wife, to being with me and I will never be able to repay that. I love you so much. I was so wrong, all those years ago, sitting in that bar. I didn't rock your world baby. You rocked my world," Dimitri began.

Tears welled up in Rose's eyes as he finished his vows, promising to love her forever. She choked out her own and they exchanged rings. Then they were pronounced man and wife. It didn't take long for Dimitri to pull Rose to him and kiss her passionately as tears of joy fell from her eyes.

Dimitri pulled back to whisper in her ear, "Baby, you rock my world."

_The only girl I would change for doesn't want me to._


End file.
